What does distinguir in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word distinguir in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use distinguir in Spanish.

The word distinguir in Spanish means distinguish, differentiate, distinguish, discern, stand out, honor, tell the difference between, tell the difference between right and wrong, know the difference between right and wrong. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word distinguir

distinguish, differentiate

verbo transitivo (ver la diferencia)

El daltónico no distingue el verde del rojo.
A color-blind person does not distinguish (or: differentiate) red from green.

distinguish, discern

verbo transitivo (percibir por los sentidos) (perceive)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Parece que allá a lo lejos distingo una luz.
It looks like I can distinguish a light over there.

stand out

verbo pronominal (diferenciarse, resaltar)

(phrasal verb, intransitive: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning and not taking direct object--for example, "make up" [=reconcile]: "After they fought, they made up.")
El espectáculo se distingue por su originalidad y buen gusto.
The show stands out for its originality and good taste.

honor

verbo transitivo (conceder un honor) (US)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
El rey distinguió a mi padre con el título de conde.
The king honored my father with the title of count.

tell the difference between

(diferenciar dos cosas)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
A simple vista el oceanógrafo distingue entre una foca y un león marino.
The oceanographer can tell the difference between a seal and a sea lion at a glance.

tell the difference between right and wrong, know the difference between right and wrong

locución verbal (tener criterio ético)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Los niños pequeños no pueden distinguir entre el bien y el mal.
Small children can't tell the difference between right and wrong.

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of distinguir in Spanish, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in Spanish.

Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.